1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of a rear structure of a motorcycle.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a motorcycle, a rear structure in which a muffler and a rear fender are disposed on the rear portion of a vehicle body is known, for example, as set forth in Japanese Patent No. 2723311 at page 2-4, FIGS. 1, 3 and 5.
According to Japanese Patent No. 2723311, a rear structure of a motorcycle is disclosed wherein, a front wheel, an engine, and a rear wheel are disposed on a vehicle body in this order from the front toward the rear with an exhaust pipe extending rearwardly from the engine. A muffler is provided at the rear end of the exhaust pipe, the muffler is disposed on the rear portion of a vehicle body frame between the left and the right seat rails so as to project upwardly from the seat rail. A rearwardly rising rear fender is disposed between the muffler and the rear wheel, and the muffler is embraced by the rear fender and a rear cowl.
However, in the motorcycle in the related art, the muffler is disposed so as to project upwardly from the seat rail to a large extent, and thus the space on the muffler cannot be utilized effectively. That is, it is impossible to provide the seat above the muffler or to put luggage thereon. In order to do so, the seat rail must extend rearwardly of the vehicle body. However, this causes an increase in the size of the motorcycle, which is not preferable.